Daughter of Joan
by RealLifeIrmaPince
Summary: Eyes narrowed and glazing over black, Sarah froze the spider mid-spin and floated it out from under the bed so she could see it properly. It looked eerily like the spider that had crawled up Kate's nose. Oh, hell no... In which Sarah has a secret that she's not so sure she should share with her new boyfriend.
1. The First Night

It's been a very long time since I have submitted any fanfiction, but this one just wouldn't leave me alone. Additionally, it's always bothered me that there are so few Covenant stories that star Sarah Wenham, so I felt the need to change that.

Disclaimer: I do not own any content or characters related to The Covenant, nor do I have any intention of trying to make any money off of this strictly recreational work of fiction.

The First Night

Sarah Wenham was hoping for normalcy when she transferred to Spenser Academy and for a short couple days upon moving into her dorm, she had it. She'd made a friend in Kate Tunney, her new roommate, who was as nice as she was beautiful. Though she was in no way obligated, she'd been the most welcoming person Sarah had ever met and had been showing her all that the tiny town of Ipswich had to offer.

On her second night in town, there was an elaborate bonfire that was just the scene she'd imagined bored rich kids would indulge in. With the ridiculous DJ setup, the close dancing, and free-flowing drinks Sarah was positive that she had stepped into the middle of a teen movie set. That feeling only intensified when she caught sight of the most attractive group of high school boys she'd ever seen. The Sons of Ipswich, her roommate informed her. There was something about the title (seriously, what kind of teenaged boys actually had their own title? the Backstreet Boys? the Ninja Turtles?) that tickled the back of her brain, but she dismissed it as Kate introduced them. That half of the group seemed to take an interest in her made her giddy, especially when Caleb Danvers flashed her a smile with those beautiful pearly whites of his.

Things were going swimmingly with Caleb until Kira, a snobby rich bitch with a riot of curls on her head, stepped between her and the man who would surely be starring in her dreams from this point forth. It didn't appear that Caleb wanted anything to do with Kira, but Sarah was willing to take a wait and see approach. A sneering face soon turned its cold gaze in her direction and Sarah flashed a winning smile as Kira made a not so subtle dig about her lack of social standing. Things escalated quickly and soon turned into a fog of testosterone, as boys in lettermen jackets attempted to pick a fight with the Sons of Ipswich (seriously, though… _really_?).

The wonderful melodrama of the elite teenage lifestyle that she was basking in was quite suddenly pulled out from under her when she felt a tug at the edge of her consciousness. She had felt it before and she knew what it meant, but was unable to pinpoint where it had come from. This was followed immediately by one of the letterman jacket-wearing Neanderthals suddenly projectile vomiting all over the other. The abrupt awareness of someone _other_ was pushed away as they all made for the hills in order to avoid incoming law enforcement. When they made it to the cars and hers wouldn't start, the tug happened again and Sarah zeroed in on Reid Garwin. If she hadn't been aware of how he'd done it, she probably would have been more grateful for his well-timed assistance. As it was, she thanked him and peeled out of the parking area, all while internally freaking out.

Sarah Wenham had come to Spenser for normalcy. Within two days, however, she had come to realize that certainly wasn't going to happen in little Ipswich, considering its big history. As she stood under the hot shower spray later that night, she thought about what she knew. Reid Garwin was a magic user. Bearing in mind that he was one of four in the boyband-esque Sons of Ipswich, she had to assume that the other three were as well. This sent her happy little fantasy of climbing Caleb Danvers like a tree straight to Hell, because she had no intention of mixing it up with a witch (even if said witch was the finest male specimen she'd ever come across). Sarah Wenham had come to Spenser for normalcy…not to find others like herself.

Later that night, as she pondered the status of her life and rinsed the conditioner from her hair, the tug at the edge of her mind came again and something shattered outside of her shower stall. She quickly turned off the water and fought down the burgeoning sense of panic churning in her gut—there was no way that they knew about her already. The foreboding feeling of a user within her immediate proximity niggled at her as she began checking the premises. Whereas before the tug had happened and abated, it was now an extended feeling, like someone had tangibly grabbed ahold of her attention and was refusing to let it go. Someone (Reid?) was using and his magic was still sustaining a spell that was humming quietly in the back of her mind. As she examined the broken lightbulb on the tile floor, Sarah subtly reached out with her sixth sense and tried to pin down where it was coming from. She didn't want to give herself away this early in the game, but she wasn't about to let some little shit scare her running from the bathroom like a horror movie victim.

Just as she felt the presence behind her, a hand touched her between the shoulder blades and she shrieked. When she whirled around there was no one there and the tug of magic was gone. As she cast her senses out, ears and eyes and _magic_ wide open, she found nothing lingering. The hair on the back of her neck had stopped prickling, but she decided to check the hallway outside just to be safe. Naturally, when she'd moved back and forth down the hallway, seeing no one and then suddenly turning to see Reid _fucking_ Garwin standing two feet from her, she screamed. The little prick had the gall to act amused as he said, "Didn't mean to scare you. Just got back." There was laughter in his voice and his eyes ran over her towel clad form.

Still breathless, Sarah bit out an apology, "Sorry, I'm just a little freaked out. It felt like someone was watching me in the showers." She watched him closely for any sign that it had been him hovering around her earlier, gritting her teeth as he nonchalantly stepped around her and gestured for her to follow him back to the bathroom. Like a knight in shining armor, he offered to "take a look" with her. Tapping his chin with his fingers, he took a cursory glance around the bathroom and gave her the all clear, as though she didn't have eyes of her own. There was now little doubt in her mind that it'd been him. When he bid her goodnight and strolled away, Sarah rolled her eyes and glared at his back.

Asshole.

She got little sleep that night and was grateful that school didn't start for a couple more days. Her thoughts were running a mile a minute as she tried to figure out how to handle her discovery of the Sons. She had lived in Boston for two years with her Aunt Ines and had spent the previous fifteen bouncing from place to place with her mother, both of whom had shared the same abilities she did. Unlike the boys in this place, she had descended from a long line of female witches in France, with whom she had spent every summer of her seventeen years. As far as she could tell from what little Kate had told her, the Sons of Ipswich had always lived here, as had their ancestors for as long as the colony had existed.

This was supposed to be the first time she would experience life without another of her kind and the quick discovery of an entire coven (if that was actually the case) was a kick in the stomach. Her mother and various aunts had drilled into her that she must be careful if she ever encountered witches outside of her own coven. _Especially_ when it came to male practitioners. She had been raised in an Amazon-like matriarchy that valued the magical edge they had over men—no man was ever stronger than their members, so none of them could ever be physically harmed by one. Sarah always thought it was a bit extreme, but understood the logic. The unfortunate side effect of this ultra-feminist view was that she'd never known her father and could think of only one man that had managed to make things work with one of her aunts.

The idea that there were several boys close by who could potentially overpower her made her nervous. What made her more nervous, by far, was how quickly her coven would snatch her out of Spenser Academy if they ever realized. Though still a little anxious about the whole thing, Sarah decided that she would withhold judgment for when she had more information. Unlike her aunts, she tried not to live life feeling like she had to be on guard 24/7. She tried to have some faith in humanity, which included the Sons of Ipswich. Kate's relationship with Pogue Parry and her high praise of Caleb indicated that at least two of them were decent guys…even if Reid Garwin was a creep.

That settled for the time being, Sarah attempted to fall asleep. When she finally drifted off, her dreams were filled with black eyes and Caleb Danvers' snow white teeth set behind a pair of lips that made her tremble.


	2. Feels Like Home

Disclaimer: I do not own any content or characters related to The Covenant, nor do I have any intention of trying to make any money off of this strictly recreational work of fiction.

Chapter 2: Feels Like Home

The next day came quickly and far too early and Sarah wanted to beat her new roommate with a pillow when she realized she was a morning person. A hair away from dozing back off, she was snatched cruelly from Morpheus' arms as Kate called her name from the foot of the bed. Reminding herself that Kate had been really nice and that they hadn't known each other nearly long enough to bite her head off, Sarah forced her eyelids apart to look at the dark skinned girl.

"I was going to grab breakfast and then swing by the store for a few essentials. Wanna come?" Kate asked from her seat at the vanity. Loathe though she was to get out of bed and with the proviso that she needed a cup of coffee ASAP, Sarah hauled herself up and into the bathroom.

Later in the morning, fed and sufficiently caffeinated, Sarah was in a much better mood as she and Kate picked Chase up after breakfast and headed for the store. They'd only met him last night, but he seemed like a nice enough guy. He was cute and funny and seemed to have his eye firmly on Kate. Though he didn't make any overt moves on her, the day was young and Sarah could sense a storm brewing there. Pogue more than likely had the ability to do some serious damage to any guy sniffing around his girlfriend, so she was hopeful that he had more self-control than someone like Reid.

Walking down the aisles of the store, Sarah felt her stomach flip flop as she rounded the corner and found Kate chatting with Caleb. In an effort not to sound any different than she had the night before, her greeting was maybe a little too enthusiastic. Either he didn't notice or he didn't care, because Caleb visibly brightened as he returned her greeting. She was momentarily captivated by his beautiful smile and his dark eyes, before Chase broke her from staring by jumping out at Kate like a dork. If that wasn't flirting, she wasn't sure what it was. Caleb's eyes tightened almost imperceptibly as he watched the interaction, but the smile didn't leave his face as he shook Chase's hand.

Kate invited everyone to a Brad Pitt movie and before she knew what was happening, Sarah had agreed instead to accompany Caleb on his errands. She spent the walk to his car berating herself, because hadn't she _just_ said that she wasn't going to get involved with another witch (no matter how well he filled out a t-shirt). She sighed internally as he led her to a beautiful grey Mustang convertible—of course he had an amazing car. So far, she was struggling to find anything wrong with him. He opened the door for her like a gentleman and some of her reticence melted away at the small act of chivalry.

The drive out of town didn't take long and they were soon winding down smaller backroads with the top down. "So, Chase and Kate…" Caleb's smooth voice interrupted her thoughts. "Do you know if there's anything going on there?"

"Not that I can tell, but that doesn't mean Chase doesn't want there to be." Sarah was in no way trying to gossip about her roommate, especially not with her boyfriend's best friend, but she was relieved to know she hadn't been imagining things.

"Pogue won't be happy with that." He murmured quietly. "He's head over heels for her…Has been for years." She'd noticed that everything that came out of his mouth was said with a quiet intensity, like he was used to getting his point across without raising his voice. She vaguely wondered what he sounded like when he did.

"Like I said, I'm pretty sure it's one-sided. From what she's told me about him, Kate seems to be completely in love with Pogue." Sarah felt the need to a) defend her roommate and b) wipe away the frown line that had formed between Caleb's eyes. On cue, his face brightened and he let it drop. Several minutes later they had settled into a comfortable silence, when she broke it wistfully, "I wish I'd brought my camera. This place is so beautiful." The leaves were a fiery orange and reminded her of the year her mother had moved them to the Blue Ridge Mountains and had insisted they spend the weekends camping out just off the parkway in order to commune with nature. Witch or no witch, her mother was always a hippie and had wanted to instill a love of nature in her only daughter.

Caleb said nothing, but smiled as he watched her wide eyes taking in the scenery. A few minutes later, he was the one to break the silence as he described the Putnam barn, explaining, "This whole place, for miles around, was the original Ipswich Colony." Not letting the conversation lull, he followed up by asking why she'd come to Spenser Academy. So, she told him about her scholarship and her desire to attend Harvard. "My father was class of '81," he responded, grinning.

Delicately, she told him, "Kate told me he passed away."

He deflected flirtatiously, "You and Kate talk about me?"

She was bashful and a smidge embarrassed. "Well, you know, just girl stuff." She waited a beat, wanting to say her piece, before she told him seriously, "I lost my mom a couple years ago, so when I say I'm sorry—I truly mean it." He didn't say anything, just glanced at her with a tight expression and nodded once. Her message received, Sarah settled back in the bucket seat and enjoyed the remainder of the ride.

When they finally reached their destination, Caleb explained the aged wooden structure, "It's our family's first colony house."

"Wait…somebody lives here?"

"Just our caretaker, Gorman." Right as the words left his lips, a shot rang out and echoed off the trees. Though Sarah jumped, Caleb seemed relatively unphased as he hollered across the small field in front of the broken down house. "Gorman, it's me! It's okay!" His voice quieted down as he explained, "He doesn't see that well anymore."

"You think?" Incredulous, she raised both eyebrows at him and he shrugged in return. She kept her eyes on him as he walked away and idly noted that he filled out a pair of jeans just as well as he did a t-shirt. Once he was out of sight, she turned her attention to the colony house. If there had been any doubt in her mind that Caleb came from a magical lineage, it was dashed as she concentrated on the house. Residual magic from generations before clung to the area like the smell of ozone that came with a heavy summer rain. Unlike the tugging that occurred when magic was performed nearby, this kind of lingering magic surrounded her soul like a down blanket and reminded her of the country villa that many of the women from her line had called home over the years.

Closing her eyes, she felt the magic stretch away from the house and fold itself around her. The trees, though not quite the same as the building, still held echoes of the ages and their magic wound around her like cats seeking attention. If she reached out and tried to touch them, they might push into her hand or they might skitter away. Unsure of how she would be received, Sarah refrained. Another reason to hold back was that reaching out would turn her passive magic into active magic, which would draw attention that she wasn't ready for.

Most witches weren't as attuned to environmental magic as she was, often preferring the flamboyant acts of using instead of feeling. Her sensitivity came from her mother's weekend trips to the great outdoors and the teachings of her various aunts, telling her to _feel_ the trees and to _feel_ the lake and _No, not with your hands, Sarah_. Her eyes flickered open as she felt rather than heard Caleb leave his ancestral home. She wondered if he could feel it waving goodbye as he got back in the car.

"Okay?" He asked as he settled in the driver's seat.

"Yeah." She smiled as she felt the home waving at her, too. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"So, you wanna shower or change first?"

 _Huh?_ "For what?"

"We're going to Nicky's." He said, like she should have any idea what that was.

"What's Nicky's?" The smile that lit his face was wide and genuine and without prompting, she felt a smile stretch across her face as well.


	3. Infighting

Disclaimer: I do not own any content or characters related to The Covenant, nor do I have any intention of trying to make any money off of this strictly recreational work of fiction.

Infighting

Nicky's was _fun_. A bar with good music and table games, it had an atmosphere that felt comfortable and made for a nice pick me up after an early afternoon of Caleb and familial magic. It was nice seeing him lose some of his intensity as they sat around a table with Kate and Chase and chatted about random things. Some of the heavy returned when Pogue arrived and realized his lady love had spent the day with what was quickly becoming his competition. Things were a little tense around the table as he walked toward the bar and had just loosened up when Sarah felt the tiny tug of magic use from across the room. _Seriously guys?_

She and Kate were chatting about the Brad Pitt movie of the day, so Caleb and Chase wandered away to play foosball. A couple minutes later, their conversation had petered out and Sarah found herself staring at the boys playing their game. "Okay, what just happened?"

"What?"

"Well, we were sitting here together, having fun…and now we're watching them have fun." She gestured to the group of guys several feet away.

"That's what girls do. You know boys and their toys." Kate's response rubbed her all sorts of wrong, but it wasn't her fault.

Suddenly, a devious smile pulled at her mouth, as she had an idea. "Nuh uh. Give me a quarter."

"Why?"

"Come on, just give me a quarter. I'll show you what girls do." Kate slapped a single quarter into the center of Sarah's palm. "Thank you." She sauntered toward the jukebox, knowing just the song to get the party started. There were only a handful of songs that could get a room going with the first few chords and though she loved it, she just didn't feel like 'Don't Stop Believing' would do the trick this time. As the heavy guitar riffs poured from the speakers, cheers rose around the room and Sarah turned her attention to the foosball table.

The sway of her hips and the churning of the skirt around her thighs were downright predatory as she strutted confidently across the room. Pogue saw her first and, regardless of his devotion to Kate, his eyes widened a little before he got Caleb's attention. There was no fight as she dragged the brunette to the dance floor and swayed close before stepping away, running her hands down her curves and rolling her hips teasingly to the sound of Joan Jett's rasping voice. Oh yeah…this was how girls got things done.

She had just pressed her ass back into Caleb's groin, dipping low with his arms around her, when the sounds of a scuffle broke out. They turned together to see Reid and Neanderthal number one about to throw down next to a pool table and, like magic, the mood was gone. Caleb pressed a kiss to her cheek before turning to go with his fellow Sons for what would probably be a parking lot brawl. As she saw Nicky grab the bat from behind the bar, Sarah quickly told Chase and Kate that she needed to use the bathroom before slipping away.

She hadn't consciously used her magic in weeks, but it was just like riding a bike as she hung back around the corner and waited for Nicky to threaten the boys and close the door. It was her hope that in the commotion, no one would notice the small spell she cast, piercing a baseball sized hole in the door visible only to her eyes. She got situated just in time to see Reid lean in close to Caleb's ear and snarl at him, "Why don't you quit being such a pussy?" He started to brush past when Caleb's hand landed heavily on his shoulder.

"I'm not finished with you yet." Reid did not take the warning well and pulled the hand away from him, his eyes black and his grip tightening. Caleb groaned lowly and his voice came out in a rasp. "Reid, stop." Sarah's hands clenched together in front of her chest as she waited to see how things played out. This was a clear difference between the Sons of Ipswich and the all-female coven she had grown up with. Her aunts argued often, but never laid hands on one another. She didn't have to wait long, as Caleb grew weary of the blonde's attempts at intimidation and shoved him across the alley with a pulse of power. Her breath stuttered as she felt not a tug at the edge of her brain, but a clench in her chest and a tightness in her skin. It wasn't painful, but was so all-encompassing that it brought her up short—no display of power had ever made her feel anything like it.

"What will it take for you to get it? It's addictive, you moron!" Caleb paced closer to Reid as his voice rose and his fists curled loosely at his sides. "You've seen what it can do if you abuse it. You want that? That's your business, but if you use in the open like you did tonight, you risk exposing us all! And that I won't let happen." There was no doubt in Sarah's mind of who was in charge of this band of brothers, though Reid did not appear ready to accept this as he lifted a keg. Caleb's voice was incredulous as he stood, relaxed but ready, "My power's greater than yours."

"Not until you ascend." Sarah's ears pricked at this piece of information and she shivered in equal parts trepidation and anticipation. If his power hadn't peaked yet, what would it feel like when it did? The next few seconds sped by as Caleb opened his arms and easily deflected the keg flung at him, before shoving Reid into a tower of empty beer bottles. This time she was ready for the feeling of his magic, but still felt her breath hitch and her heart flutter at the full-body buzz that swept over her skin. Sarah tuned back in as the blonde verbally defended himself, "So, I fixed her car! Big deal!"

"Don't play me Reid! I'm talking later and you know it!" Was Caleb aware that his brother had been watching her in the shower?

"The hell I do! I didn't use _later_." Reid's teeth clenched around the word like it had offended him. And damn but—though she had been nearly one hundred percent positive last night that he had been the mysterious peeping Tom—Sarah found herself believing him. Through the anger he was clearly emoting, she could also feel the hurt rolling off of him in waves.

She gasped as Reid, still covered in broken glass, stalked angrily toward the door she was watching through. She barely had time to cancel her spell and slide around the corner to the line for the bathroom before he slammed the door open and stormed past. Her heart was racing as Tyler came in shortly after and spared her a short nod as he walked by the bathrooms. She waited for her pulse to slow and then walked back around the corner to the open door. The remaining Sons were talking quietly as she called out to them. "Hey."

Caleb's greeting was quiet, as was his affirmation when she asked if he was okay. As he followed her back through the bar and to the parking lot, he was silent and subdued. The drive back to her dorm was equally as quiet, but they had managed to leave any awkwardness behind in the gravel lot at Nicky's. She thanked him for spending the day with her and found herself giving him a chaste kiss as she exited the car. Honestly, she wanted to give him more than a peck, but her mind was still reeling from the fight she had witnessed and her subsequent reaction to his power. And she could tell that he was still distracted as well. The timing was all wrong, but she had a feeling their time would come soon.


	4. Sweet Dreams

Disclaimer: I do not own any content or characters related to The Covenant, nor do I have any intention of trying to make any money off of this strictly recreational work of fiction.

Sweet Dreams

Though her mind was heavy with new information, Sarah fell asleep easily that night. Unfortunately, that was to be the only easy part of her night. She woke in a dream with a spider in her hair. She was initially grossed out by the idea of the creepy crawly walking across her face, but her demeanor quickly escalated to a full blown panic as she pulled the blanket back to reveal more spiders. Why were there suddenly so many spiders?! Stomping in place, she attempted to shake them off, killing them with her feet and the palms of her hands. It was as she watched a spider slip into the still slumbering Kate's nostril (how the hell was she sleeping through this?!) and tiny baby arachnids erupt from her forehead that Sarah registered something wrong beyond the obvious.

She gasped as she sat straight up in bed and frantically looked around the room. There were no spiders and Kate was sleeping peacefully unmolested in her bed. As her breathing slowed, Sarah's eyes narrowed and her teeth ground audibly in her skull. Oh, _hell no._

Anyone else who'd had such a dream would be terrified, but would write it off relatively quickly as an overactive imagination or a reaction to bad tacos. Sarah, however, was not anyone else and she could practically taste the lingering magic clinging to her bed sheets. Someone had not only been in her room—someone had just used on her. Before getting out of bed, she closed her eyes and extended her senses, but came back empty. Barring the quickly dissipating residual power, there was nothing.

Comfortable in her solitude, Sarah sent a small burst of power toward Kate to ensure she stayed asleep and then dropped to the floor beside her bed. She pulled a large plastic tote out, popped the lid off, and removed an innocuous looking boot box. From this box, she removed a large book bundled in muslin cloth and rooted around until she found a thick black marker. Unwrapping the book, she set it on the floor and her fingers flipped pages rapidly as she looked for the protection spell she knew was there. Finally, after almost turning past it, Sarah laid her fingertips at the bottom of the yellowed page she required. She looked over the large sigils that took up the top of the page and scanned the French instructions underneath.

This book had been passed from woman to woman in her line for hundreds of years, each owner leaving her own notes and spellcraft for the next generation. From what she'd seen of the Sons' powers thus far, they didn't seem to use any actual spells, but rather intent based telekinesis. They probably had their own grimoires and traditions, but she would actually have to talk to them to find out anything for sure. This brought her to a difficult dilemma. She'd had no immediate plans of confronting the boys, but now that she'd been attacked, she was hesitant about how to proceed.

Thoughts turning over and over, Sarah lay on the floor and shimmied herself underneath her bed and began copying the necessary sigils on the underside of the wooden frame. Given how vehemently Caleb jumped Reid's ass about using his powers, she sincerely doubted he was behind the dream. She also liked to think she had a good thing going with him (new though it was), so a great deal of her faith in his innocence was actually hope.

She also doubted Pogue would send her a dream in which his girlfriend's face erupted with spiders…hopefully. That left Tyler and Reid. She knew nothing about Tyler, aside from the fact that he was an Omega among his Alpha and Beta friends. He seemed content to follow the others and despite his clear friendship with Reid, had not stepped in to stop him getting his ass kicked. Though Reid was the obvious contender for using his powers carelessly, he didn't seem to be truly malicious. And while she'd believed him to have watched her in the shower just yesterday, she genuinely believed him when he told Caleb he hadn't been using after fixing her car.

As she finished the symbols under her bed, she was no closer to an answer than she was when she started. Chewing her lip thoughtfully, Sarah pulled herself out from under her bed and glanced at Kate, still sleeping peacefully, still spider-free. Shrugging, she pulled a couple boxes from beneath her slumbering roommate's bed and shimmied under to repeat the protection she'd placed on her own.

To be honest, though she didn't know the Sons of Ipswich well, she struggled to imagine any of them attacking her. First of all, there was no reason. Even if she entertained the idea that someone was jealous that she'd started hanging out with Caleb, nothing could be gained by scaring the shit out of her with spiders. Secondly, none of them knew she was anything more than a normal seventeen year old girl. Normal seventeen year olds had nightmares all the time and didn't put stock into them. Thirdly—she glanced up and saw a spider just like the ones in her dream building a web under the head of the bed. Eyes narrowed and glazing over black, Sarah froze the spider mid-spin and floated it out from under the bed so she could see it properly. It looked eerily like the spider that had crawled up Kate's nose.

Fuck. That.

Leaning against the side of the bed, she concentrated and tried to sense anything strange about the arachnid. There was the slightest tinge of power to it… so faint that she hadn't felt it under the residual power in the air and wouldn't have noticed it if it hadn't been literal inches from her face. But why was it under Kate's bed and not her own? The questions were mounting and she still had no answers. Eyes narrowed and still pitch black, Sarah set about finding a jar for her new roommate. As much as she wanted to stomp on it, she needed to find out if it had any instructions beyond visiting her dreams. Creation spells were easy enough to break if you caught them early and knew both their purpose and caster (but she didn't know shit right now).

Spider safely stowed in a mason jar and spelled to stay there (just in case it decided to grow thumbs and learn to unscrew things), Sarah slid back under Kate's bed. Her motivation for protecting her friend's bed had before been because she was nice and deserved a reprieve from any bad dreams she might have. Now, though, she was concerned that the protections would actually be necessary. By the time she finished, it was nearly six in the morning. Replacing everything to its rightful place, the young witch stood and stretched before gathering her shower caddy and a change of clothes. No sense in trying to sleep now.


	5. Draco Malfoy

Disclaimer: I do not own any content or characters related to The Covenant, nor do I have any intention of trying to make any money off of this strictly recreational work of fiction.

Draco Malfoy

She was quiet and introspective as she sipped her coffee that morning. Kate was still sleeping when Sarah headed for the cafeteria and she found herself the sole occupant, bar the small staff. She picked at her food and doodled various protection sigils with the tip of her finger on the tabletop. She'd wanted to visit the library to look into the creepy crawly now nestled securely between two pairs of sweatpants in her dresser, but it didn't open until she had class. She'd briefly thought about breaking in, but had dismissed the thought. She'd actively used more in the past 24 hours than she had in over a month and wanted to spend some time outside before she decided to use again.

In addition to her spider problem, she was also considering the fight she'd spied on yesterday. Caleb was yelling at Reid about using too much (from what she'd felt the last couple days, she agreed with him). He'd said something about abusing the power and knowing what it could do. She thought of her aunts and remembered Emma, who had used without taking the proper precautions and had withered away by the time Sarah was ten. Excluding that one case, though, none of her coven had died that way in a very long time. She thought about the fathers of the Sons of Ipswich and wondered if any of them were still around. With the way Caleb assumed responsibility for the others, she doubted it.

Her thoughts were interrupted as someone plunked a tray across the table from her. Jerking from her thoughts, Sarah looked up to see Chase settling in with a full breakfast and a big smile. "Good morning!" He chirped before taking a bite of eggs.

"Morning." She murmured back. She liked Chase, but was in no mood to deal with his cheerful demeanor until she'd at least finished her coffee.

"Aww. What's wrong, Grumpy?" He teased.

"Had trouble sleeping last night. I promise I'll be better company after more coffee." She smiled wanly at him and turned her gaze back to the melon that she'd been pushing around with her fork.

"I'm sorry…bad dreams?" Chase asked, his voice softening. For approximately point five seconds, Sarah considered telling him the truth, but then firmly dismissed the idea. The only guys at this school who could possibly hope to understand her concerns about her dream were the Sons of Ipswich and Chase wasn't a member of that particular fraternity. Instead of answering verbally, she nodded and continued to push the melon around her plate.

(((((DoJDoJDoJDoJDoJDoJDoJDoJDoJDoJDoJ)))))

Though she had been incredibly excited for the start of the school year, Sarah struggled to remain enthusiastic during classes that day. Her mind was teeming with questions and her eyes were heavy after two nights of interrupted sleep. Kate joined her in their lit class later in the morning and acted as a pleasant distraction from the heaviness that plagued her thoughts.

She was packing up to head to lunch when she felt a presence stop just to her left. Kate had already headed out the door with Pogue and Caleb had been called to see the provost, so Sarah found herself one of the few students remaining. Looking up from her bag, she saw Reid leaning casually against the end of the pew. "Hey, Sarah…you're looking good today."

"Thanks." She responded with a wry smile. He stepped out of the way as she hefted her bag onto her shoulder and made for the door. Once they hit the hallway he fell into step beside her, strolling with his hands in his pockets, shoulder occasionally jostling her as he weaved slightly from side to side. "What can I do for you, Reid?"

"Go out with me tonight." It wasn't a question. "I figured we could get dinner…go see a movie… What do you think?" He raised his eyebrows at her comically.

"That's really sweet, but I already have plans tonight." Sarah wasn't trying to upset him, so she left out the fact that her plans were with Caleb.

"What could be better than dinner and a movie with me?" Reid's eyes were knowing, regardless of her trying to spare his feelings. He also didn't seem as upset as she thought he might.

"A trip to the library, followed by dinner in town."

"You're picking the library over a movie!? I can offer you motherfucking snakes on a motherfucking plane!" Sarah could see why girls liked him—when he wasn't trying to be a smooth talker, Reid was actually pretty funny. "What's the library got that me and my man, Samuel L., don't?"

"Books about dream interpretation…and books about spiders." She watched him closely, but he didn't seem to have any reaction beyond puzzlement and mild disgust.

"I fuckin' hate spiders. They give me the creeps." As they got in the cafeteria line, Reid conceded defeat. "Fine, enjoy dinner with your spider books and I'll go see Snakes on a Plane by myself."

Sarah rolled her eyes at him and put a bottle of water on her tray. "You do that. I hope you and yourself have a very nice time together." Her response was snarky, but not aimed to hurt. Fortunately, he took it in the spirit of teasing and waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Sweetheart, I always have a good time with myself."

She snorted before she could help herself. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like a pervy Draco Malfoy?" Tray full, she turned away from him to find a seat and bit back a smile as he choked and sputtered. Catching up with her, Reid was grumbling, but not denying anything. "Oh my God, they have!"

"Shut up, it's the hair." Kate and Pogue were looking at them with some confusion as they sat down across the table from them.

Unable to contain her laughter any longer, Sarah couldn't resist one more dig through her chortles. "Oh God, I'm definitely calling you Draco from now on." Cottoning on, the others started laughing too.

She could see the knowing amusement glittering in Pogue's eyes as he chuckled. "Yeah Reid, you're like a bratty teenaged wizard." Throwing a fry across the table with a frown, Reid told him to shut up.


End file.
